Catching Up

The holidays are always a whirlwind of activities.  As soon as November came last fall, we seemed to be busy every waking moment.  Now that we’ve turned the corner into the new year, I have finally found my way back to blogging. 

Before sharing my holiday activities, I need to catch up on the rest of rest summer.  (Yikes-it really has been awhile!)

One of our final weekends last August studying Japanese in Okazaki was busy exploring some special shrines, hiking some mountain trials, and exploring an old castle. 

We began with the shrines. 

Fertility is a celebrated aspect of life here in Japan.  In addition to the special shrines, there are also annual festivals held to specifically celebrate fertility.  During our visits to these two shrines-one dedicated to each sex-we witnessed several families with new born babies, likely giving thanks for the birth of their healthy child. (I am afraid I do not recall either of the temples names we visited.)

The shrine dedicated to male fertility.

Shrine dedicated to female fertility. 

Pregnant women are supposed to crawl through.  If they make it, they will have an easy birth.

The castle we toured-Inuyama Castle-we discovered is the oldest standing castle in Japan.  It was built in 1537 (reconstructed in the 1960’s). 

After refreshing ourselves with some ice cream, we were ready for a hike.  On our way to the trailhead, we stopped to view some lovely waterfalls.  The two waterfalls are said to be a couple-one male, one female.  One of the waterfalls in quite loud while the other is quite quiet.  It’s up to you to decide which is which. 

Our hike was beautiful.  It left me longing for more time in the mountains. 

Fushimi Inari Jinja

Sometimes I ashamedly reflect back onto what little I knew of Japan before moving here two years ago.  At that time my knowledge of Japan was something like this:

Sushi-Raw fish.  Totally un-appealing. (Now I love it.)

Geisha-Cans of pineapple…?  Fancy ladies with white faces?  (Just read this book-fantastic.)

Sumo-Really, really fat wrestlers. (Recently went to the Tokyo tournament-amazing!)

Ninjas-Stealthy dudes all dressed in black. (Still don't know much about them...)

Godzilla-Huge green lizard that terrorizes Tokyo. 

Anime-Really strange cartoons. (I LOVE studio Ghibli films!)

And so on. 

Fortunately, I have now learned a tremendous amount about Japan.  (In fact, I strongly believe now that living abroad is one of the best things one can do.  There are few experiences in life that are as challenging and rewarding.)

Some of the only images in my mind of Japan and its culture came from the movies.  Most recently, The Memoirs of a Geisha. 

During our time studying at Yamasa this past August, we took a few trips to Kyoto during the weekend.  One of the most iconic images of Japan-that I knew of because of The Memoirs of a Geisha-is located at the Fushimi Inari Jinja (a “Jinja” is a Japanese Shinto Shrine).  

The iconic image associated with this film happens when the main character (as a child) runs through the forest of torii to the reach the shrine where she makes an offering and prays.  This now famous scene was shot on location in Kyoto at the Fushimi Inari Jinja. 

I had been hoping to visit this shrine for some time and was delighted when the trip was scheduled.   

Lantern and gateway at the entrance of the shrine.

The main shrine building

The Shinto Inari god (Kami in Japanese) is the deity of good fortune and rice.  At every shrine dedicated to the Inari god, you will find images of foxes.  The fox-the messenger of this god-plays a significant role in the stories surrounding the Inari god. 

A fox at the entrance of the shrine.

Wooden foxes people can purchase, draw on a face, write a petition and leave at the shrine.

It is believed by those who practice Shintoism that making offerings to the Inari shrines is important to their success in business.  The number of torii at Fushimi Inari Jinja is directly related to this.  The large torii are purchased-usually by companies-as an offering and petition for continuous good fortune.  The big torii are extremely expensive. 

A map of the whole complex.

A sign depicting the prices of the torii.  The most expensive one, with the current exchange rate, is over $16,000.00 USD.

Regular folk can buy their own (much smaller) torii for their petitions.  

Unfortunately, we did not have time to make the entire walk through the torii forest.  This turned out to be a good thing… As we were walking back through the torii, thunder began to rumble in the distance.  Just as we reached the parking lot, it began to pour.

The thunder rolling in...

Visiting Fushimi Inari Jinja was one of the highlights of my summer.  If you ever visit Kyoto, it should be on the top of your list. 

Amanohashidate

I am one of those people who really likes lists.  Grocery lists, to-do lists, books to read lists, etc. Currently, the one list I think about a lot right now is my “Things To Do Before Leaving Japan” list. 

We will be in Japan for a while longer yet, but I am also a planner.  I constantly find myself thinking about the future and planning. 

During our time studying at Yamasa in Okazaki we were able to cross off some big things from the list: climbing Mount Fuji, exploring Kyoto more thoroughly (more on that later), and seeing Amanohashidate.

There are three places in Japan considered to be the most picturesque in the entire country.  The torii of Itsukushima Shrine, Matsushima, and Amanohashidate.  Two down, one to go!

Amanohashidate is a natural sand bar along the sea of Japan on the north side of Kyoto. Its natural shape is absolutely fascinating. 

We rode up a lift to reach the best viewing point.  It was stunning.  Supposedly, if you turn upside down and look at it through your legs, the sandbar will look like "A bridge to the heavens."  

Chion-Ji Temple entrance.  This temple is very close to one of the ends of the sand bar.

Bad fortunes are left at the temple.  If you get a good fortune, you take it with you.

After coming back down the lift, we rented some bicycles and explored the area.  It was lovely.  I wish we had had time to take a swim.  The water looked amazing. 

Motoise Kono Shrine on the opposite end of the sandbar as the Chion-Ji Temple.

Biking across Amanohashidate

Though difficult to access by public transportation, I highly recommend seeing Amanohashidate.  With its natural shape and beauty, it’s no wonder that it on the most beautiful places in Japan list!

Do you have any suggestions for my "do before leaving Japan" list?  Leave me a note if you do! 

Weekend Trips: Mikatagoko, Obama (the town)

One of the great things about studying at Yamasa for us was the proximity to new places.  We live very close to Tokyo-which is wonderful-but we love traveling and exploring other parts of Japan. 

Yamasa offers fantastic weekend trip opportunities.  We took advantage of one over night trip and two day trips during our time there.  Unfortunately for us, the first trip-the overnight one-included lots of traffic which resulted in cutting about half the original itinerary.  (One of the later days trips made up for what we missed.)

The first place we visited on our overnight trip was a National Park in Fukui Ken called Wakasa Bay Quasi.  According to the sign, these are “Wetlands of International Importance” and serve as breeding grounds for several types of invaluable fish. 

Map of the Mikatagoko area.

One of the attractions is at the top of one of the mountains.  We rode a lift to the top where we had an fantastic view and saw some interesting attractions:

The lift.

You could buy a lock, etch a message on it (usually a romantic one), and then lock it on the railing. 

There were virtually thousands of locks on the railings!

Little clay discs you could buy, write a messgae on and hurl over the railing into the forest.

Karl throwing his wish.

Kabuto Mushi-all of my elementary students are obsessed with these beetles.

Kabuto mushi eating a sugar jelly.

Map and view from the top.

Our second stop for the day was a brief drive through the little coastal town of Obama in Fukui Ken.  When President Obama was elected in the United States four years ago, this little town suddenly experienced world-wide fame. 

Our day ended back in Kyoto.  We had a full kaiseki meal at a restaurant in the Gion district.  During the summer the restaurants along the Shirakawa River set up special decks that float above the river.  This provides a cool relief from the oppressive humidity of the Kyoto summer. 

The dinner was delicious.